The present invention relates to improvements in a tip articulation mechanism for endoscopes.
In general, an endoscope is provided with a proximal grip section, and an inserting portion of a small diameter which extends from this grip section.
The inserting portion is internally fitted with a pulling wire for tip articulation. This wire is fixed in an distal end thereof to an outermost sheathing tube by soldering or any other suitable means, and also, is connected in the base end thereof to an articulation controlling knob of the grip section which can be axially slid for articulating the distal portion of endoscope proximal.
With such arrangement, a sliding operation of the articulation controlling knob towards the base end side thereof allows the distal portion of endoscope to be articulated.
However, when the inserting portion is inserted in an internal bodily organ such as a blood vessel, the operating wire occasionally undergoes an overload owing to physical resistance or other similar factor acting upon the distal portion of endoscope during the articulating operation of the distal portion of endoscope.
If an overload is exerted upon the pulling wire, there is the risk that the pulling wire is broken in the soldered end portion thereof, and/or any excessive operation force of the distal portion of endoscope causes the blood vessel or other internal bodily organ to injure. This is a disadvantage of the generally known conventional tip articulation mechanism for endoscopes.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide for an improved tip articulation mechanism for endoscopes, which is superior in the durability thereof, and is free from any task of injury of internal bodily organ such as a blood vessel, in which the foregoing disadvantage of the conventional tip articulation mechanism for endoscopes are overcome.